Chris Baldwin - Latest Comments on Michelle Wie shoots a smart, gutsy 1-over 73 in first round of LPGA Championshiphttp://www.travelgolf.com/blogs/chris.baldwin?disp=comments
en-US-utf8http://backend.userland.com/rss60 tasha [Visitor] in response to: Michelle Wie shoots a smart, gutsy 1-over 73 in first round of LPGA ChampionshipSat, 09 Jun 2007 01:44:56 +0000tasha [Visitor]c51901@http://www.travelgolf.com/blogs/Those of you stuck on the word "poise" and using it incorrectly, a simple English 101 course will give you a better understanding of the word. <br />
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When one has poise, no matter how things are tanking, as they sometimes will, one keeps one's composure. Certainly Michelle could have completely lost it and come out of it with a triple or a quadruple bogey accompanied by a tearful melt down, but she didn't--she is a professional athlete after all with amazing poise. Under pressure, nothing is simple and even a layman's view of a "simple" par is never simple. <br />
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If she pulled off a par or even a birdie under all that kind of pressure, now that's brilliant and when she's hundred percent, she will have plenty of chances to play brilliantly. <br />
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She has guts and she will keep grinding as that's what she needs to do right now. Healing process of an injury is very complex and the chances of re-injury are very high, so if she can still play with the injury and can adjust with her club choices, and if mistakes are made, then, it's a good learning process. What won't kill her will make her stronger. <br />
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An inopportune bogey or missed cut certainly doesn't define her entire career. <br />
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On the other hand, Paris Hilton, now, that's a woman who's lost her composure when her world started to tank. English 101 can't even begin to define her lack of poise.
When one has poise, no matter how things are tanking, as they sometimes will, one keeps one's composure. Certainly Michelle could have completely lost it and come out of it with a triple or a quadruple bogey accompanied by a tearful melt down, but she didn't--she is a professional athlete after all with amazing poise. Under pressure, nothing is simple and even a layman's view of a "simple" par is never simple.

If she pulled off a par or even a birdie under all that kind of pressure, now that's brilliant and when she's hundred percent, she will have plenty of chances to play brilliantly.

She has guts and she will keep grinding as that's what she needs to do right now. Healing process of an injury is very complex and the chances of re-injury are very high, so if she can still play with the injury and can adjust with her club choices, and if mistakes are made, then, it's a good learning process. What won't kill her will make her stronger.

On the other hand, Paris Hilton, now, that's a woman who's lost her composure when her world started to tank. English 101 can't even begin to define her lack of poise. ]]>http://www.travelgolf.com/blogs/chris.baldwin/2007/06/07/michelle_wie_shoots_a_smart_gutsy_1_over#c51901
Jim C [Visitor] in response to: Michelle Wie shoots a smart, gutsy 1-over 73 in first round of LPGA ChampionshipFri, 08 Jun 2007 22:01:30 +0000Jim C [Visitor]c51886@http://www.travelgolf.com/blogs/Alex<br />
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In case you didn't notice, Michelle Wie is over par. A par is not a simple par for her the way she is playing now. On 18 she hit a bad tee shot and missed the fairway badly. But there is no reason to call that choking since she has been doing that a lot these two days. She was too agressive on her second shot, where she should have laid up--but you don't want a young player to be timid. You have to be agressive and make some mistakes to learn what you can and cannot do. Her third shot was unlucky--a few more yards and the ball would have gotten close to the hole instead of rolling the other way. She then played well to get down in two, including a pressure bogey putt that she needed to have any realistic chance of making the cut.
In case you didn't notice, Michelle Wie is over par. A par is not a simple par for her the way she is playing now. On 18 she hit a bad tee shot and missed the fairway badly. But there is no reason to call that choking since she has been doing that a lot these two days. She was too agressive on her second shot, where she should have laid up--but you don't want a young player to be timid. You have to be agressive and make some mistakes to learn what you can and cannot do. Her third shot was unlucky--a few more yards and the ball would have gotten close to the hole instead of rolling the other way. She then played well to get down in two, including a pressure bogey putt that she needed to have any realistic chance of making the cut.]]>http://www.travelgolf.com/blogs/chris.baldwin/2007/06/07/michelle_wie_shoots_a_smart_gutsy_1_over#c51886
Alex [Visitor] in response to: Michelle Wie shoots a smart, gutsy 1-over 73 in first round of LPGA ChampionshipFri, 08 Jun 2007 20:42:14 +0000Alex [Visitor]c51881@http://www.travelgolf.com/blogs/Tasha,<br />
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How did you like the amazing poise Bubbles showed when, needing a simple par to ensure making the cut, she choked terribly and was lucky to get a bogey?
How did you like the amazing poise Bubbles showed when, needing a simple par to ensure making the cut, she choked terribly and was lucky to get a bogey?]]>http://www.travelgolf.com/blogs/chris.baldwin/2007/06/07/michelle_wie_shoots_a_smart_gutsy_1_over#c51881
tasha [Visitor] in response to: Michelle Wie shoots a smart, gutsy 1-over 73 in first round of LPGA ChampionshipFri, 08 Jun 2007 20:11:27 +0000tasha [Visitor]c51879@http://www.travelgolf.com/blogs/I said "the pettiness expressed by many bloggers was getting tedious", yup, it still is. <br />
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I am sure there are many ways to withdraw from a tournament. Swearing, crying, stomping off the course, blaming others, wrapping a club around a tree, not facing the press afterwards--any number of unattractive human emotions that lack composure happens. Pettiness also lacks poise. <br />
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Whether it was right or wrong or whether it was a result of an injury, has nothing to do with how she actually presented herself to the public. Throughout the ordeal, Michelle stayed poised and came back to face another day where the pressure on her was much heavier than at the previous tournament. <br />
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Granted, as John C says that she was more feisty in her responses and good for her. Michelle showed amazing poise.
I am sure there are many ways to withdraw from a tournament. Swearing, crying, stomping off the course, blaming others, wrapping a club around a tree, not facing the press afterwards--any number of unattractive human emotions that lack composure happens. Pettiness also lacks poise.

Whether it was right or wrong or whether it was a result of an injury, has nothing to do with how she actually presented herself to the public. Throughout the ordeal, Michelle stayed poised and came back to face another day where the pressure on her was much heavier than at the previous tournament.

Granted, as John C says that she was more feisty in her responses and good for her. Michelle showed amazing poise. ]]>http://www.travelgolf.com/blogs/chris.baldwin/2007/06/07/michelle_wie_shoots_a_smart_gutsy_1_over#c51879
Judge Smails [Visitor] in response to: Michelle Wie shoots a smart, gutsy 1-over 73 in first round of LPGA ChampionshipFri, 08 Jun 2007 17:18:54 +0000Judge Smails [Visitor]c51872@http://www.travelgolf.com/blogs/Tasha,<br />
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Bubbles "poise is amazing"? How much poise did she exhibit when she withdrew, feigning injury?
Bubbles "poise is amazing"? How much poise did she exhibit when she withdrew, feigning injury?]]>http://www.travelgolf.com/blogs/chris.baldwin/2007/06/07/michelle_wie_shoots_a_smart_gutsy_1_over#c51872
Alex [Visitor] in response to: Michelle Wie shoots a smart, gutsy 1-over 73 in first round of LPGA ChampionshipFri, 08 Jun 2007 15:37:08 +0000Alex [Visitor]c51866@http://www.travelgolf.com/blogs/Anne,<br />
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Bubbles seems to have taken the advice of Leadbelly and abandoned her big-driving game, that is, if she ever had one.<br />
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And it is just as well. The pitty-pat golf game peculiar to the LPGA tour suits her game much better.<br />
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I mean, she does have to control those booming 232 yard drives so as to keep them in the fairways. Oops, she only hit five fairways. Well, you know what I mean.<br />
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Anne, if Bubbles misses the cut, try not to become "squirmish.":-)
Bubbles seems to have taken the advice of Leadbelly and abandoned her big-driving game, that is, if she ever had one.

And it is just as well. The pitty-pat golf game peculiar to the LPGA tour suits her game much better.

I mean, she does have to control those booming 232 yard drives so as to keep them in the fairways. Oops, she only hit five fairways. Well, you know what I mean.

Anne, if Bubbles misses the cut, try not to become "squirmish.":-)]]>http://www.travelgolf.com/blogs/chris.baldwin/2007/06/07/michelle_wie_shoots_a_smart_gutsy_1_over#c51866
Stanley [Visitor] in response to: Michelle Wie shoots a smart, gutsy 1-over 73 in first round of LPGA ChampionshipFri, 08 Jun 2007 15:03:58 +0000Stanley [Visitor]c51865@http://www.travelgolf.com/blogs/Judge Smails,<br />
Leadbetter had warned before she teed off that she had lost a huge amount of distance, and wouldn't be hitting it very far for that round.<br />
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It was very impressive that someone who was used to hitting it long and overpowering courses adapted so well to hitting it shorter off the tee.<br />
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Hopefully the time she spends hitting it shorter off the tee will help to enhance her game more, so that when she regains her distance she has a better all round game.
Leadbetter had warned before she teed off that she had lost a huge amount of distance, and wouldn't be hitting it very far for that round.

It was very impressive that someone who was used to hitting it long and overpowering courses adapted so well to hitting it shorter off the tee.

Hopefully the time she spends hitting it shorter off the tee will help to enhance her game more, so that when she regains her distance she has a better all round game.]]>http://www.travelgolf.com/blogs/chris.baldwin/2007/06/07/michelle_wie_shoots_a_smart_gutsy_1_over#c51865
tasha [Visitor] in response to: Michelle Wie shoots a smart, gutsy 1-over 73 in first round of LPGA ChampionshipFri, 08 Jun 2007 09:22:07 +0000tasha [Visitor]c51857@http://www.travelgolf.com/blogs/Jim C:<br />
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Well said. Those are very fair insights. <br />
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Well said. Those are very fair insights.